UNEXPECTED PLEASURES

The trouble with knowing a person who has a blog (i.e. me) is that you never know when you might become the subject of a blog entry. Tonight that fate befalls to Doug, Robin, Claire, Graeme and, of course, Ray.

Got home from a long day at work to find Ray waiting for me, dinner in preparation and house totally clean. This man does know how to impress me! The music was playing, the house was full of fresh Spring air, and we spent the next short while preparing a yummy dinner together. There is something entirely satisfying about cooking a delicious meal with the person you love, who you know will enjoy the food just as much as you do.

I had just finished stuffing myself silly with pasta - Atkins is a four-letter word in this household - and was near the point of being passed out on the couch when the phone rang. Doug, one of my supervisors from my MSc, was calling to work out some details for a manuscript. Along with business, we got caught up on what had happened since our respective moves (he from Kamloops to Agassiz, us from Vancouver to here) and I have to say that it was wonderful to hear his voice and chat with him again. I have such fond memories of my time in Kamloops and will always look back at my two summers up there as challenging but fantastically enjoyable. I've rarely worked so hard and yet had a totally wonderful time.

As I hung up with Doug, the doorbell rang, bringing Robin to our doorstep with a couple of bottles of wine begging to be disposed of in a humane manner. Claire and Graeme were coerced into joining us a short while later, and so the evening continued in an entirely pleasurable manner. We even broke into a chocolate stash that I had been saving for the perfect rainy day...mmm. They've just headed home and now I'm sitting here typing away at my computer.

All of these events are so characteristic of my time here in England: simple, unexpected pleasures that occur nearly every day. And this is on top of Kim's arrival in two days, and much visiting and exploring to look forward to. I am a truly lucky person.